Programers work on the new Automatic Storage and Retrieval System at Belimo to get it functioning in the company's newly-built facility at 33 Turner Rd. in Danbury, Conn. Belimo invested heavily in the system and its supposed to improve production efficiency.
On Monday, August 11, 2014, The News-Times was given a preview.

Programers work on the new Automatic Storage and Retrieval System at Belimo to get it functioning in the company's newly-built facility at 33 Turner Rd. in Danbury, Conn. Belimo invested heavily in the system and its supposed to improve production efficiency.
On Monday, August 11, 2014, The News-Times was given a preview.

The big open squares are âÄúinformal meeting locationsâÄù at Belimo. They have more than a dozen in the new building to help spur more collaboration between employees. Belimo will be moving into a newly-built facility at 33 Turner Rd in Danbury, Conn.
On Monday, August 11, 2014, The News-Times was given a preview.

This is called the hotel area. Its for visiting employees so they have an area they can work. The open ceiling is a way to showcase Belimo products as they actually function. Belimo will soon be moving into this newly-built facility at 33 Turner Rd in Danbury, Conn.
Photo taken Monday, August 11, 2014.

An open ceiling in various places, is a design feature at Belimo's new facility, to showcase the company's products. Belimo will be moving into a newly-built facility at 33 Turner Rd. in Danbury, Conn.
On Monday, August 11, 2014, The News-Times was given a preview.

On a hillside overlooking picturesque southwestern Danbury, construction crews are putting the finishing touches on Belimo Americas' new 200,000-square-foot headquarters slated to open this fall.

The company began construction on the new home for its Americas operations more than two years ago. They chose 34 acres near the city's western border, former home to Novo Laboratories.

While most buildings have finished ceilings that hide heating and air conditioning systems, Belimo's building is designed so that customers can see its components at work.

John Coppola, the company's vice president of finance and administration for Americas operations, said the layout allows for tours of the facility so customers can see the products in action. Cloud-based ceilings allow visitors to view the company's damper actuators and control valves at work. In the boiler room, a facility usually closed from the public, color-coded pipes help customers distinguish one system from another.

"We call it the Belimo experience," Coppola said.

The building replaces the company's leased 88,000-square-foot office and production facility on Old Ridgebury Road. Coppola said the new building was designed to meet the company's needs for the next decade and beyond.

"We built in the capacity to expand the building if additional production or office space is needed," he said.

While the new building includes 126,000 square feet of manufacturing space, more than double the size of the existing building, Coppola said another 100,000 square feet of production space could be created by knocking out a back wall. The structure was designed to accommodate another 23,000 square feet of office space.

"Being an energy-solutions provider, it was important to us that the building reflects who we are," Coppola said. "We aren't just providing energy solutions products, we are living it every day. We live who we are."

While most real estate professionals agree constructing a new building in the area isn't the cheapest option, Coppola said leaving the city was never an option for the Switzerland-based company.

"This is where we established our roots back in the 1980s so its meaningful for us to continue to grow here," he said. "We choose to stay in Danbury because of the value our employees bring to the company. Leaving wasn't even an option."

Meredith Siburn, a commercial broker with Cushman and Wakefield's Stamford office, said while new construction is typically very expensive, the company likely wasn't able to find a space in the area that was able to meet their needs.

"From that perspective, it probably made more sense for them to build new," she said. "A project like that is very expensive and I'm sure they have a lot of capital tied up in the building, but it's an investment in their future."

She said the new construction provides an opportunity for another company to move into the space where Belimo plans to vacate. Siburn is representing the building.

"It's exciting to have a headquarters-quality flex building available in the marketplace in a great location," she said. "We are in discussions and showing the building to potential users who are currently both in and outside of the market."

City officials and area business leaders said they are pleased that Belimo, which employes more than 275 people, decided to remain in the city and invest in a new facility.

"Not only are they staying here but they are investing in a state-of-the-art facility that will allow them to expand their manufacturing and the number of people they employ," said Stephen Bull, president of the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce. "A lot of people have been talking about manufacturing that's leaving the state, its heartening to see this wonderful company stay right here."

Coppola said the company is constantly expanding its workforce. The company has more than a dozen jobs advertised this week at its Danbury facility including everything from engineers to assemblers.